Following their separation, Ashya, who also worked as a dancer and a model, moved to Denpasar, Bali, where she continued her business, this time under the name Blossom.

“I just like that name,” she said, adding that her brand focused on high-quality yet affordable hair treatments.

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As a trans woman, Ashya was aware of the growing discrimination against her in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. It did not stop her from pursuing her passion. In fact, she believes that being part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) has its own benefits when it comes to running her business.

“People, in general, prefer [their hair treatment] to be handled by LGBT people because we are more thorough and the results are satisfactory,” she said.

Furthermore, Ashya believes that the more LGBT Indonesians start their own businesses that benefit society, the more they would be accepted. 

“Slowly, they will accept the existence of our people who run businesses and appreciate us,” she added.

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